Greer Delivers Support To NYC As Promised

Royce Greer stands at the Tribute Wall at the World Trade Center. Greer brought best wishes and support from the Winslow community with him, including a t-shirt signed by patrons and members of the American Legion Post No. 15, which can be seen hanging over his right shoulder.

We have returned from our trip to New York City, and we felt we needed to take this opportunity to send a thank-you to the people in this community who reached out to those who suffered such unimaginable losses on September 11.

When we asked for your cards and letters, but we never expected such a wonderful response. We took an entire suitcase full of your tributes to New York. What a humbling experience that was. Ground Zero itself was “just kicked in the stomach” shocking. As you have heard so many times, you can’t describe the mind-boggling devastation.

We began by taking the t-shirts from the American Legion and Joey and Chris Nelson to the tribute wall.

This wall, located just outside of the wreckage sight and situated on a fence in front of an old church, is a diary of the devastation. It brings to life the faces that are lost in the pile in front of you and the survivors who are left behind to go on without them. It was impossible to be there without wiping tears. It was just too real.

These t-shirts can be seen on the documentary “Back to Ground Zero” which has been aired on MSNBC. The day we visited “Ground Zero”, they were filming this documentary and so your tributes were also caught on tape.

We took letters from Mr. Roses’ 7th grade classes, all the letters from the community, bags full of stuffed animals, a God’s Eye from the High School and many special tributes as well as a check from Bonnie Brennan Elementary School to the little Fire Department near the World Trade Center.

Dan and Dawn Wetherbee from Winslow Campus of Care, who made this trip with us, also presented a check for a sizeable amount to the fire department. Many of their employees made generous donations in order to send this money to New York. At this particular department, Engine 4, Ladder Company 15 to be exact, they lost 14 men out of 16 that day.

We spoke to a survivor from another department, Lt. Sean O’Malley. He referred to September 11 as “the day of seconds and inches”. That’s what it came down to for him that day. He also referred to anything pre-September 11 as “back when the world made sense.”

He gratefully took the letters and all of the gifts and was very gracious to us. He spent the good part of an hour talking with us about “that day” how the days have been for them since.

He told us that they truly cherish all the support. He assured us that at night when they have nothing better to do, it is these letters that give them comfort and that they read them all. The money will be used to help aid the families of the lost firefighters.

We spoke with a woman who worked in the building right next to the World Trade Center towers. She had only returned that day (nearly three months later) to witness the devastation. She has only been back in her apartment a block or so away for a few weeks.

We also met the owner of the pizza place around the comer. Somehow amid the massive scaffolding and ghost-town like appearance, he had managed to re-open. He had been open only a week. However, all of his regular customers are no longer there. He has to rely on tourists to support him now.

So much still remains just as it has since September 11. Soot and ash from the falling towers is still everywhere and the buildings for the most part are still in ruin. It can make you feel very powerless and small; however, there is a contagious sense of pride and patriotism in New York and this is what we all brought home.

I can simply say this: I am so grateful for my family and friends. I love my children. I cherish my freedom and I’m proud to be an American. I pray for all those who are fighting for our freedom and for those families who suffered such a great loss.

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